Pepper hybrid PS09954859

ABSTRACT

The invention provides seed and plants of pepper hybrid PS09954859 and the parent lines thereof. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds and tissue cultures of pepper hybrid PS09954859 and the parent lines thereof, and to methods for producing a pepper plant produced by crossing such plants with themselves or with another pepper plant, such as a plant of another genotype. The invention further relates to seeds and plants produced by such crossing. The invention further relates to parts of such plants, including the fruit and gametes of such plants.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the priority of U.S. Provisional Appl. Ser. No.61/422,101, filed Dec. 10, 2010, the entire disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of plant breeding and, morespecifically, to the development of pepper hybrid PS09954859 and theinbred pepper lines SMR 99-1275 and SMY 99-1322.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The goal of vegetable breeding is to combine various desirable traits ina single variety/hybrid. Such desirable traits may include any traitdeemed beneficial by a grower and/or consumer, including greater yield,resistance to insects or disease, tolerance to environmental stress, andnutritional value.

Breeding techniques take advantage of a plant's method of pollination.There are two general methods of pollination: a plant self-pollinates ifpollen from one flower is transferred to the same or another flower ofthe same plant or plant variety. A plant cross-pollinates if pollencomes to it from a flower of a different plant variety.

Plants that have been self-pollinated and selected for type over manygenerations become homozygous at almost all gene loci and produce auniform population of true breeding progeny, a homozygous plant. A crossbetween two such homozygous plants of different genotypes produces auniform population of hybrid plants that are heterozygous for many geneloci. Conversely, a cross of two plants each heterozygous at a number ofloci produces a population of hybrid plants that differ genetically andare not uniform. The resulting non-uniformity makes performanceunpredictable.

The development of uniform varieties requires the development ofhomozygous inbred plants, the crossing of these inbred plants, and theevaluation of the crosses. Pedigree breeding and recurrent selection areexamples of breeding methods that have been used to develop inbredplants from breeding populations. Those breeding methods combine thegenetic backgrounds from two or more plants or various other broad-basedsources into breeding pools from which new lines and hybrids derivedtherefrom are developed by selfing and selection of desired phenotypes.The new lines and hybrids are evaluated to determine which of those havecommercial potential.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, the present invention provides a pepper plant of thehybrid designated PS09954859, the pepper line SMR 99-1275 or pepper lineSMY 99-1322. Also provided are pepper plants having all thephysiological and morphological characteristics of such a plant. Partsof these pepper plants are also provided, for example, including pollen,an ovule, scion, a rootstock, a fruit, and a cell of the plant.

In another aspect of the invention, a plant of pepper hybrid PS09954859and/or pepper lines SMR 99-1275 and SMY 99-1322 comprising an addedheritable trait is provided. The heritable trait may comprise a geneticlocus that is, for example, a dominant or recessive allele. In oneembodiment of the invention, a plant of pepper hybrid PS09954859 and/orpepper lines SMR 99-1275 and SMY 99-1322 is defined as comprising asingle locus conversion. In specific embodiments of the invention, anadded genetic locus confers one or more traits such as, for example,herbicide tolerance, insect resistance, disease resistance, and modifiedcarbohydrate metabolism. In further embodiments, the trait may beconferred by a naturally occurring gene introduced into the genome of aline by backcrossing, a natural or induced mutation, or a transgeneintroduced through genetic transformation techniques into the plant or aprogenitor of any previous generation thereof. When introduced throughtransformation, a genetic locus may comprise one or more genesintegrated at a single chromosomal location.

The invention also concerns the seed of pepper hybrid PS09954859 and/orpepper lines SMR 99-1275 and SMY 99-1322. The pepper seed of theinvention may be provided as an essentially homogeneous population ofpepper seed of pepper hybrid PS09954859 and/or pepper lines SMR 99-1275and SMY 99-1322. Essentially homogeneous populations of seed aregenerally free from substantial numbers of other seed. Therefore, seedof hybrid PS09954859 and/or pepper lines SMR 99-1275 and SMY 99-1322 maybe defined as forming at least about 97% of the total seed, including atleast about 98%, 99% or more of the seed. The seed population may beseparately grown to provide an essentially homogeneous population ofpepper plants designated PS09954859 and/or pepper lines SMR 99-1275 andSMY 99-1322.

In yet another aspect of the invention, a tissue culture of regenerablecells of a pepper plant of hybrid PS09954859 and/or pepper lines SMR99-1275 and SMY 99-1322 is provided. The tissue culture will preferablybe capable of regenerating pepper plants capable of expressing all ofthe physiological and morphological characteristics of the startingplant, and of regenerating plants having substantially the same genotypeas the starting plant. Examples of some of the physiological andmorphological characteristics of the hybrid PS09954859 and/or pepperlines SMR 99-1275 and SMY 99-1322 include those traits set forth in thetables herein. The regenerable cells in such tissue cultures may bederived, for example, from embryos, meristems, cotyledons, pollen,leaves, anthers, roots, root tips, pistils, flowers, seed and stalks.Still further, the present invention provides pepper plants regeneratedfrom a tissue culture of the invention, the plants having all thephysiological and morphological characteristics of hybrid PS09954859and/or pepper lines SMR 99-1275 and SMY 99-1322.

In still yet another aspect of the invention, processes are provided forproducing pepper seeds, plants and fruit, which processes generallycomprise crossing a first parent pepper plant with a second parentpepper plant, wherein at least one of the first or second parent pepperplants is a plant of pepper line SMR 99-1275 or pepper line SMY 99-1322.These processes may be further exemplified as processes for preparinghybrid pepper seed or plants, wherein a first pepper plant is crossedwith a second pepper plant of a different, distinct genotype to providea hybrid that has, as one of its parents, a plant of pepper line SMR99-1275 or pepper line SMY 99-1322. In these processes, crossing willresult in the production of seed. The seed production occurs regardlessof whether the seed is collected or not.

In one embodiment of the invention, the first step in “crossing”comprises planting seeds of a first and second parent pepper plant,often in proximity so that pollination will occur for example, mediatedby insect vectors. Alternatively, pollen can be transferred manually.Where the plant is self-pollinated, pollination may occur without theneed for direct human intervention other than plant cultivation.

A second step may comprise cultivating or growing the seeds of first andsecond parent pepper plants into plants that bear flowers. A third stepmay comprise preventing self-pollination of the plants, such as byemasculating the flowers (i.e., killing or removing the pollen).

A fourth step for a hybrid cross may comprise cross-pollination betweenthe first and second parent pepper plants. Yet another step comprisesharvesting the seeds from at least one of the parent pepper plants. Theharvested seed can be grown to produce a pepper plant or hybrid pepperplant.

The present invention also provides the pepper seeds and plants producedby a process that comprises crossing a first parent pepper plant with asecond parent pepper plant, wherein at least one of the first or secondparent pepper plants is a plant of pepper hybrid PS09954859 and/orpepper lines SMR 99-1275 and SMY 99-1322. In one embodiment of theinvention, pepper seed and plants produced by the process are firstgeneration (F₁) hybrid pepper seed and plants produced by crossing aplant in accordance with the invention with another, distinct plant. Thepresent invention further contemplates plant parts of such an F₁ hybridpepper plant, and methods of use thereof. Therefore, certain exemplaryembodiments of the invention provide an F₁ hybrid pepper plant and seedthereof.

In still yet another aspect, the present invention provides a method ofproducing a plant derived from hybrid PS09954859 and/or pepper lines SMR99-1275 and SMY 99-1322, the method comprising the steps of: (a)preparing a progeny plant derived from hybrid PS09954859 and/or pepperlines SMR 99-1275 and SMY 99-1322, wherein said preparing comprisescrossing a plant of the hybrid PS09954859 and/or pepper lines SMR99-1275 and SMY 99-1322 with a second plant; and (b) crossing theprogeny plant with itself or a second plant to produce a seed of aprogeny plant of a subsequent generation. In further embodiments, themethod may additionally comprise: (c) growing a progeny plant of asubsequent generation from said seed of a progeny plant of a subsequentgeneration and crossing the progeny plant of a subsequent generationwith itself or a second plant; and repeating the steps for an additional3-10 generations to produce a plant derived from hybrid PS09954859and/or pepper lines SMR 99-1275 and SMY 99-1322. The plant derived fromhybrid PS09954859 and/or pepper lines SMR 99-1275 and SMY 99-1322 may bean inbred line, and the aforementioned repeated crossing steps may bedefined as comprising sufficient inbreeding to produce the inbred line.In the method, it may be desirable to select particular plants resultingfrom step (c) for continued crossing according to steps (b) and (c). Byselecting plants having one or more desirable traits, a plant derivedfrom hybrid PS09954859 and/or pepper lines SMR 99-1275 and SMY 99-1322is obtained which possesses some of the desirable traits of theline/hybrid as well as potentially other selected traits.

In certain embodiments, the present invention provides a method ofproducing food or feed comprising: (a) obtaining a plant of pepperhybrid PS09954859 and/or pepper lines SMR 99-1275 and SMY 99-1322,wherein the plant has been cultivated to maturity, and (b) collecting atleast one pepper from the plant.

In still yet another aspect of the invention, the genetic complement ofpepper hybrid PS09954859 and/or pepper lines SMR 99-1275 and SMY 99-1322is provided. The phrase “genetic complement” is used to refer to theaggregate of nucleotide sequences, the expression of which sequencesdefines the phenotype of, in the present case, a pepper plant, or a cellor tissue of that plant. A genetic complement thus represents thegenetic makeup of a cell, tissue or plant, and a hybrid geneticcomplement represents the genetic make up of a hybrid cell, tissue orplant. The invention thus provides pepper plant cells that have agenetic complement in accordance with the pepper plant cells disclosedherein, and seeds and plants containing such cells.

Plant genetic complements may be assessed by genetic marker profiles,and by the expression of phenotypic traits that are characteristic ofthe expression of the genetic complement, e.g., isozyme typing profiles.It is understood that hybrid PS09954859 and/or pepper lines SMR 99-1275and SMY 99-1322 could be identified by any of the many well knowntechniques such as, for example, Simple Sequence Length Polymorphisms(SSLPs) (Williams et al., 1990), Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNAs(RAPDs), DNA Amplification Fingerprinting (DAF), Sequence CharacterizedAmplified Regions (SCARs), Arbitrary Primed Polymerase Chain Reaction(AP-PCR), Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms (AFLPs) (EP 534 858,specifically incorporated herein by reference in its entirety), andSingle Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) (Wang et al., 1998).

In still yet another aspect, the present invention provides hybridgenetic complements, as represented by pepper plant cells, tissues,plants, and seeds, formed by the combination of a haploid geneticcomplement of a pepper plant of the invention with a haploid geneticcomplement of a second pepper plant, preferably, another, distinctpepper plant. In another aspect, the present invention provides a pepperplant regenerated from a tissue culture that comprises a hybrid geneticcomplement of this invention.

Any embodiment discussed herein with respect to one aspect of theinvention applies to other aspects of the invention as well, unlessspecifically noted.

The term “about” is used to indicate that a value includes the standarddeviation of the mean for the device or method being employed todetermine the value. The use of the term “or” in the claims is used tomean “and/or” unless explicitly indicated to refer to alternatives onlyor the alternatives are mutually exclusive. When used in conjunctionwith the word “comprising” or other open language in the claims, thewords “a” and “an” denote “one or more,” unless specifically notedotherwise. The terms “comprise,” “have” and “include” are open-endedlinking verbs. Any forms or tenses of one or more of these verbs, suchas “comprises,” “comprising,” “has,” “having,” “includes” and“including,” are also open-ended. For example, any method that“comprises,” “has” or “includes” one or more steps is not limited topossessing only those one or more steps and also covers other unlistedsteps. Similarly, any plant that “comprises,” “has” or “includes” one ormore traits is not limited to possessing only those one or more traitsand covers other unlisted traits.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent from the following detailed description. It should beunderstood, however, that the detailed description and any specificexamples provided, while indicating specific embodiments of theinvention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changesand modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art from this detaileddescription.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides methods and compositions relating to plants,seeds and derivatives of pepper hybrid PS09954859, pepper line SMR99-1275 and pepper line SMY 99-1322. The hybrid PS09954859 is producedby the cross of parent lines SMR 99-1275 and SMY 99-1322. The parentlines show uniformity and stability within the limits of environmentalinfluence. By crossing the parent lines, uniform seed hybrid PS09954859can be obtained.

Sweet bell pepper hybrid PS09954859 develops a small to medium plant.The plant produces green maturing to red, mini, blocky peppers about 75to 80 days after transplanting. The three or four-lobed fruits exhibit aflat blossom-end and weigh approximately 40 to 60 g. Fruit areapproximately 5 cm long by 6 cm wide with length to diameter ratiosbetween 1.0 and 1.3. The relatively thin-skinned fruit has a crunchytexture. Hybrid PS09954859 appears highly resistant to Races 0, 1, 2, 3,7, and 8 Bacterial leaf spot (Xanthomonas euvesicatoria), highlyresistant to Tobamovirus (P0), highly resistant to the Potato virus Y[PVY (P1.2)], Tobacco etch virus (TEV), Pepper mottle virus (PepMoV),and Pepper yellow mosaic virus (PepYMV). The hybrid is intended for openfield production.

A. ORIGIN AND BREEDING HISTORY OF PEPPER HYBRID PS09954859

The parents of hybrid PS09954859 are SMR 99-1275 and SMY 99-1322. Theseparents were created as follows

SMY 99-1322 was developed by pedigree selection from Seminis hybridresulting from a cross between female inbred “Yellow Sweet Bite” andmale inbred, “Red*orange mini derivative”.

The maternal parent, Yellow Sweet Bite, was originally obtained from aDutch grower. The line develops a short compact plant and produces asmall pointed yellow pepper with a 10.6% Brix. Fruits measured about 5.6cm long by 4.0 cm diameter and each weigh about 32 g. The line is fixedfor resistance to the PVY (P1.2), TEV, PepMoV and PepYMV.

The paternal accession, Red*orange mini derivative, was derived from across between a red mini pepper and an orange mini pepper obtained froma Dutch grower. The paternal parent produced a slow coloring, small,blocky, yellow pepper. It produced fruit with 9.9% Brix that measured5.8 cm long by 4.7 cm wide and each fruit weighed about 38 g.

The crossing and selections were made as follows:

January, Year 1: The F₁ hybrid was made from the parents Yellow SweetBite (stake # S02-1306) and Red*Orange Mini (stake # S02-1382). Itreceived accession number 2002-7993.

January, Year 2: Plants of the F₁ hybrid, 2002-7993, were transplanted.The line produced yellow pointy fruit. The plants were allowed to self,and seed were harvested, massed and received accession number 2003-2585.

January, Year 3: Planted the F₂ inbred line 2003-2585 as stake 03S-1091.The line produced blocky yellow fruit. The plants were allowed to self.Seeds were collected separately from individual plants. Plants grownfrom seeds from selection 03S-1091-2 tested resistant to PVY (P0) andthat line received accession number 2003-3357.

July, Year 3: Planted the F₃ inbred line 2003-3357 as stake 03F-120. Theline was produced yellow fruit. The line produced pointed yellow fruit.The plants were allowed to self. Seeds were collected separately fromindividual plants. Seeds of the selection, 03F-120-3, tested resistantto PVY (P0) and received accession number 2003-4577.

January, Year 4: Planted the F₄ inbred line 2003-4577 as stake 04S-100.The line produced pointy yellow fruit. The plants were allowed to self.Seeds were collected separately from individual plants. Seeds of plant04S-100-7 tested resistant to PVY (P1.2), TEV, PepMoV, and PepYMV andreceived accession number 2004-1034.

July, Year 5: Planted the F₅ inbred line 2004-1034 as stake 04F-1776.The line produced a small blocky yellow pepper with a 9.8% Brix. Fruitsmeasured about 5.2 cm long by 4.4 cm diameter and each weigh about 38 g.The plants were allowed to self. Seeds were collected separately fromindividual plants. Seeds of the selection, 04F-1776-10 were massed andassigned the accession number 2004-3035.

July, Year 6: Planted the F₆ inbred line 2004-3035 (AP 2378) as stake05LB LBGH 0551. The line tested resistant to Tm0 and was notanthocyaninless. The line was allowed to self and massed as 05LB LBGH0551-M.

January, Year 7: Planted the F₇ inbred line 05LB LBGH 0551-M as stake06LB LBGH 2278. The line develops a medium-sized plant that produces ayellow, blocky, slightly deep (length to diameter ratio is about 1.2),mini fruit. The fruit typically weighed about 38 g with a Brix of 9.8%.The line is fixed for resistance to Tm0, to the PVY (P1.2), TEV, PepMoV,and PepYMV. The line was allowed to self and massed as 06LB LBGH 2278-M.

July, Year 9: The inbred line 06LB LBGH 2278-M was submitted as inbredline SMY 99-1322.

SMY 99-1322 develops a medium-sized plant that produces a yellow,blocky, slightly deep (length to diameter ratio is about 1.2), minifruit. The fruit typically weight about 38 g with a Brix of 9.8%. Theline is fixed for resistance to Tobamovirus (P0) (Tm0; L₁ gene), to thePotato virus Y [PVY (P1.2)], Tobacco etch virus (TEV), Pepper mottlevirus (PepMoV), and Pepper yellow mosaic virus (PepYMV). SMY 99-1322differs from its maternal parent, Yellow Sweet Bite, because SMY 99-1322produces a blocky fruit and is resistant to Tm0 while Yellow Sweet Biteproduces a pointy fruit and is susceptible to Tm0. SMY 99-1322 differsfrom its paternal parent, “Red*orange mini derivative”, because SMY99-1322 is resistant to Tm0, PVY (P1.2), TEV, PepMoV, and PepYMV whilethe “Red*Orange mini derivative” is susceptible to these diseases.

SMR 99-1275 was developed by pedigree selection from the proprietarySeminis hybrid “9927126”, which resulted from a cross between female F₁hybrid “9915535” and the male inbred line “01LB 06884-01”.

The maternal hybrid, 9915535, was created from a cross between inbredline “SBR 27-129” and accession “PBC 932”. SBR 27-129 produced a sweetblocky red fruit highly resistant to Tm0. The accession PBC 932developed a large plant that produced small, pointed, pungent red fruithighly resistant to anthracnose Colletotrichum accutatum, C. capici, andC. gloeosporioodes (Ca, Cc, and Cg). The paternal parent of SMR 99-1275,01LB 06884-01, developed an anthocyanless plant highly resistant toXanthomonas euvesicatoria (Xcv; Bs₂ gene). The plant of 01LB 06884-01produced an early maturing, firm yellow fruit.

The crossing and selections were made as follows:

January, Year 3: The F₁ hybrid, “9927126”, was made from the parents9915535 and 01LB 06884-01.

July, Year 3: Plants of the F₁ hybrid 9927126 were transplanted as stake02LB 06963. The hybrid produced a very large plant. Individual plantswere selfed and selected.

January, Year 4: Planted the F₂ inbred line 02LB 06963-15 as stake 03LB05834. No observations were made. The plants were allowed to self.Single plant selections were made.

July, Year 4: Planted the F₃ inbred line 03LB 05834-01 as stake 03LB09080. Notes indicate that the line produced a heavy set of rednon-anthocyanless fruit. The plants were allowed to self, and seeds wereseparately collected from individual plants.

January, Year 5: Planted the F₄ inbred line 03LB 09080-01 as stake 04LB03651. Notes indicated the line developed a large to extra large, leafyplant with apparently good resistance to powdery mildew caused byLeveillula taurica. The plant produced uniform four-lobed mini, redbell-shaped fruit. The selections tested highly resistant to Xcv. Theplants were allowed to self, and seeds were separately collected fromindividual plants.

July, Year 5: Planted the F₅ inbred line 04LB 03651-03 as stake 04LB08790. Notes indicate the line developed very bushy, chlorotic, mediumto large plants with heavy leaf curl. The plants produced a heavy set ofmini, blocky-shaped fruit. The plants were allowed to self, and seedswere separately collected from individual plants.

January, Year 6: Planted the F₆ inbred line 04LB 08790-03 as stake 05LBLBGH 0411. Notes indicate the line develops a large plant that producesa heavy set of smooth, dumpy to “monks cap” shaped mini peppers withuniform four-lobed red fruit. The plants were allowed to self, and seedsof the line were massed.

October, Year 6: The inbred line 05LB LBGH 0411-M was submitted as SMR99-1275.

SMR 99-1275 develops a large plant that produces a heavy set of smooth,dumpy to “monks cap” shaped mini papers with regular four-lobed redfruit. The line is highly resistant to the Tobamo virus (P0) [Tm0; L₁gene] and bacterial leaf spot caused by Xanthomonas euvesicatoria (Xcv;Bs₂ gene). SMR 99-1275 is different from the maternal hybrid parent,9915535, because it is resistant to Xcv while 9915535 is not resistant.SMR 99-1275 differs from its paternal parent, 01LB 06884-01, because SMR99-1275 produces red fruit, is not anthocyanless, and is resistant toTm0 while 01LB 06884-01 produces yellow fruit, is anthocyanless, and isnot resistant to Tm0.

The parent lines are uniform and stable, as there so is a hybridproduced therefrom. A small percentage of variants can occur withincommercially acceptable limits for almost any characteristic during thecourse of repeated multiplication. However no variants are expected.

B. PHYSIOLOGICAL AND MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF PEPPER HYBRIDPS09954859, PEPPER LINE SMR 99-1275 AND PEPPER LINE SMY 99-1322

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a plant having the physiological and morphologicalcharacteristics of pepper hybrid PS09954859 and the parent linesthereof. A description of the physiological and morphologicalcharacteristics of such plants is presented in Tables 1-3.

TABLE 1 Physiological and Morphological Characteristics of HybridPS09954859 Comparison Variety - CHARACTERISTIC PS09954859 Early CalWonder 1. Species C. annuum C. annuum 2. Maturity (in region of bestadaptability) days from transplanting until 57 67 mature green stagedays from transplanting until 82 85 mature red or yellow stage days fromdirect seeding until 83 104  mature green stage days from direct seedinguntil 108  122  mature red or yellow stage beginning of flowering(1^(st) early (Carré doux extra early flower on 2^(nd) flowering node)hâtif, Cupido, Fehér, Flaviano, Lito, Trophy) time of maturity early(Fehér, Lady Bell, medium Topgirl) 3. Plant habit semi-spreading compactattitude upright/erect (De upright/erect Cayenne, Doux très long desLandes, Piquant d'Algérie) plant height 37.3 cm 40.9 cm plant width 42.7cm 47.1 cm length of stem from cotyledon 10.8 cm 10.7 cm to first flowerlength of the third internode   64 mm   54 mm (from soil surface) lengthof stem short (Delphin, Trophy) medium shortened internode (in upperpresent (Fehér, Kalocsai absent part) 601, Kalocsai 702) number ofinternodes between one to three (Fehér) the first flower and theshortened internodes stem: hairiness of nodes absent or very weak absentor very weak (Arlequin) height tall (Century, Orias) medium basalbranches none few branch flexibility rigid (Yolo Wonder) rigid stemstrength (breakage weak intermediate resistance) 4. Leaf length of blademedium (Atol, Blondy, medium Marconi, Merit, Anthea) width of blademedium (Albaregia, medium Balaton, Danubia, Marconi, Merit) width 63.9mm   60 mm length 66.4 mm 113.3 mm  petiole length 34.4 mm   46 mm colorlight green light green color (RHS Color Chart value) 137A 147Aintensity of green color light (Piquant d'Algérie, light Pusztagold)mature leaf shape ovate (Balico, Sonar) ovate leaf and stem pubescenceabsent absent undulation of margin very weak absent blistering weak(Pusztagold) weak profile in cross section flat (De Cayenne, moderatelyconcave Recio) glossiness medium (Alby, Eolo) medium 5. Flower peduncle:attitude semi-drooping (Blondy) erect flowers per leaf axil  1  1 calyxlobes  6  6 petals  7  6 diameter 24.2 mm 25.1 mm corolla color whitewhite corolla throat markings yellow yellow anther color purple purplestyle length exceeds stamen same as stamen self-incompatibility presentabsent 6. Fruit group Bell (Yolo Wonder L.) Bell (Yolo Wonder L.) color(before maturity) green (California green wonder, Lamuyo) intensity ofcolor (before medium medium maturity) immature fruit color medium greenmedium green immature fruit color (RHS 144A 137A Color Chart value)attitude/position drooping/pendent (De drooping/pendent Cayenne, Lamuyo)length medium (Fehér, medium Lamuyo) diameter medium (Doux italien,broad Corno di toro) ratio length/diameter medium (Adra, Cherry mediumSweet, Daniel, Delphin, Edino) calyx diameter 22.4 mm   32 mm fruitlength 65.7 mm   80 mm fruit diameter at calyx   49 mm   70 mmattachment fruit diameter at mid-point 48.2 mm   80 mm flesh thicknessat mid-point  4.6 mm   6 mm average number of fruits per 32 10 plant %large fruits 14 (weight range: 50 to 50 (weight range 140 80 g) to 199g) % medium fruits 61 (weight range: 30 to 30 (weight range 80 to 49 g)139 g) % small fruits 25 (weight range: 10 to 20 (weight range 20 to 29g) 79 g) average fruit weight 35.3 gm  100 gm fruit shape (longitudinalsquare (Delphin, Yolo square section) Wonder) fruit shape (crosssection, at circular (Cherry Sweet, quadrangular level of placenta) Douxtrès long des Landes) sinuation of pericarp at basal weak (Donat) veryweak part sinuation of pericarp excluding weak (Clovis, Sonar) very weakbasal part texture of surface smooth or very slightly smooth or verywrinkled (Milord) slightly wrinkled color (at maturity) red (Fehér,Lamuyo) red intensity of color (at maturity) dark dark mature fruitcolor red red mature fruit color (RHS Color N34C 46A Chart value)glossiness strong (Doux italien, medium/moderate Trophy) stalk cavitypresent (Bingor, absent Lamuyo) depth of stalk cavity medium (Lamuyo,Magister) pedicel length 31.4 mm   20 mm pedicel thickness  5.8 mm   6mm pedicel shape curved curved pedicel cavity present absent depth ofpedicel cavity 11.9 mm stalk: length medium (Fehér, Sonar) medium stalk:thickness thin (Sweet banana) medium base shape cupped cupped shape ofapex moderately depressed very depressed (Quadrato a'Asti rosso) shapeBell (Yolo Wonder L.) Bell (Yolo Wonder L.) set scattered scattereddepth of interloculary grooves shallow (Milord, medium Topgirl) numberof locules predominantly three predominantly four (Century) and more %fruits with two locules  6.60%  0% % fruits with three locules 66.70%40% % fruits with four locules 26.70% 60% average number of locules  3 4 thickness of flesh medium (Fehér, thick Lamuyo) calyx: aspectnon-enveloping/ non-enveloping/ saucer-shaped saucer-shaped (Lamuyo,Sonar) pungency sweet sweet capsaicin in placenta absent (Sonar) absentflavor mild pepper flavor moderate glossiness shiny shiny 7. Seed seedcavity length 54.4 mm   43 mm seed cavity diameter 37.3 mm   52 mmplacenta length 17.9 mm   22 mm number of seeds per fruit 80 100  gramsper 1000 seeds  4.4 gm 7.5 gm color yellow yellow 8. Anthocyaninseedling hypocotyl absent (Albaregia, moderate Albena) stem moderateabsent node weak weak stem: intensity of anthocyanin very weak mediumcoloration of nodes leaf absent absent pedicel absent absent calyxabsent absent anther present (Lamuyo) present fruit coloration absent(Lamuyo) absent *These are typical values. Values may vary due toenvironment. Other values that are substantially equivalent are alsowithin the scope of the invention.

TABLE 2 Physiological and Morphological Characteristics of Line SMR99-1275 Comparison Variety - CHARACTERISTIC SMR 99-1275 Early CalWonder 1. Species C. annuum C. annuum 2. Maturity (in region of bestadaptability) days from transplanting until 76 67 mature green stagedays from transplanting until 110  85 mature red or yellow stage daysfrom direct seeding until 102  104  mature green stage days from directseeding until 136  122  mature red or yellow stage beginning offlowering (1^(st) early (Carré doux extra early flower on 2^(nd)flowering node) hâtif, Cupido, Fehér, Flaviano, Lito, Trophy) time ofmaturity medium (Lamuyo, medium Latino, Sonar) 3. Plant habit compactcompact attitude upright/erect (De upright/erect Cayenne, Doux très longdes Landes, Piquant d'Algérie) plant height 31.8 cm 40.9 cm plant width38.3 cm 47.1 cm length of stem from cotyledon   68 cm 10.7 cm to firstflower length of the third internode 49.6 mm   54 mm (from soil surface)length of stem medium (Belsir, medium Lamuyo) shortened internode (inupper present (Fehér, Kalocsai absent part) 601, Kalocsai 702) number ofinternodes between one to three (Fehér) the first flower and theshortened internodes (varieties with shortened internodes only) lengthof internode (on primary medium side shoots) (varieties withoutshortened internodes only) stem: hairiness of nodes absent or very weakabsent or very weak (Arlequin) height medium (HRF) medium basal branchesfew (2-3) few branch flexibility rigid (Yolo Wonder) rigid stem strength(breakage weak intermediate resistance) 4. Leaf length of blade medium(Atol, Blondy, medium Marconi, Merit, Anthea) width of blade medium(Albaregia, medium Balaton, Danubia, Marconi, Merit) width 50.9 mm   60mm length 97.1 mm 113.3 mm  petiole length 40.1 mm   46 mm color mediumgreen light green color (RHS Color Chart value) 146A 147A intensity ofgreen color medium (Doux très long light des Landes, Merit) mature leafshape ovate (Balico, Sonar) ovate leaf and stem pubescence absent absentundulation of margin medium (Tenor) absent blistering strong (Greygo,PAZ weak pallagi) profile in cross section strongly concave moderatelyconcave (Slávy) glossiness very weak (Diavolo) medium 5. Flowerpeduncle: attitude semi-drooping (Blondy) erect flowers per leaf axil  1 1 calyx lobes  6  6 petals  6  6 diameter 25.7 mm 25.1 mm corolla colorwhite white corolla throat markings light green yellow anther colorpurple purple style length exceeds stamen same as stamenself-incompatibility present absent 6. Fruit group Bell (Yolo Wonder L.)Bell (Yolo Wonder L.) color (before maturity) green (California greenwonder, Lamuyo) intensity of color (before medium medium maturity)immature fruit color medium green medium green immature fruit color (RHS137B 137A Color Chart value) attitude/position drooping/pendent (Dedrooping/pendent Cayenne, Lamuyo) length short (Delphin, Petit mediumcarré doux) diameter medium (Doux italien, broad Corno di toro) ratiolength/diameter medium (Adra, Cherry medium Sweet, Daniel, Delphin,Edino) calyx diameter 23.6 mm   32 mm fruit length 45.3 mm   80 mm fruitdiameter at calyx 76.6 mm   70 mm attachment fruit diameter at mid-point54.3 mm   80 mm flesh thickness at mid-point  4.6 mm   6 mm averagenumber of fruits per  8 10 plant % large fruits 12 (weight range: 40 to50 (weight range 140 59 g) to 199 g) % medium fruits 63 (weight range:20 to 30 (weight range 80 to 49 g) 139 g) % small fruits 25 (weightrange: 10 to 20 (weight range 20 to 19 g) 79 g) average fruit weight38.6 gm  100 gm fruit shape (longitudinal square (Delphin, Yolo squaresection) Wonder) fruit shape (cross section, at circular Cherry Sweet,quadrangular level of placenta) Doux très long des Landes) sinuation ofpericarp at basal absent or very weak very weak part (Delphin, KalocsaiV-2, Milord) sinuation of pericarp excluding weak (Clovis, Sonar) veryweak basal part texture of surface smooth or very slightly smooth orvery wrinkled (Milord) slightly wrinkled color (at maturity) red (Fehér,Lamuyo) red intensity of color (at maturity) dark dark mature fruitcolor red red mature fruit color (RHS Color N34A 46A Chart value)glossiness medium/moderate medium/moderate (Carré doux extra hâtif,Lamuyo, Sonar) stalk cavity present (Bingor, absent Lamuyo) depth ofstalk cavity medium (Lamuyo, Magister) pedicel length 36.4 mm   20 mmpedicel thickness  5.3 mm   6 mm pedicel shape curved curved pedicelcavity present absent depth of pedicel cavity 12.3 mm stalk: length long(De Cayenne, medium Sierra Nevada, Sweet Banana) stalk: thickness medium(Doux italien, medium Surpas) base shape cupped cupped shape of apexmoderately acute very depressed shape Bell (Yolo Wonder L.) Bell (YoloWonder L.) set scattered scattered depth of interloculary grooves medium(Clovis, medium Lamuyo, Marconi) number of locules equally three andfour predominantly four (Lamuyo, Sonar) and more % fruits with threelocules 50% 40% % fruits with four locules 50% 60% average number oflocules   3.5  4 thickness of flesh thick (Andevalo, thick Bingor,Daniel, Topgirl) calyx: aspect non-enveloping/ non-enveloping/saucer-shaped saucer-shaped (Lamuyo, Sonar) pungency sweet sweetcapsaicin in placenta absent (Sonar) absent flavor mild pepper flavormoderate glossiness moderate shiny 7. Seed seed cavity length 34.1 mm  43 mm seed cavity diameter 43.3 mm   52 mm placenta length 13.7 mm  22 mm number of seeds per fruit 33 100  grams per 1000 seeds   8 gm 7.5 gm color yellow yellow 8. Anthocyanin seedling hypocotyl absent(Albaregia, moderate Albena) stem absent absent node weak weak stem:intensity of anthocyanin weak (California medium coloration of nodeswonder, Clio, Doux d'Espagne, Dous très long des Landes, Goldencalwonder) leaf absent absent pedicel absent absent calyx absent absentanther present (Lamuyo) present fruit coloration absent (Lamuyo) absent*These are typical values. Values may vary due to environment. Othervalues that are substantially equivalent are also within the scope ofthe invention.

TABLE 3 Physiological and Morphological Characteristics of Line SMY99-1322 Comparison Variety - CHARACTERISTIC SMY 99-1322 Early CalWonder 1. Species C. annuum C. annuum 2. Maturity (in region of bestadaptability) days from transplanting until 57 67 mature green stagedays from transplanting until 82 85 mature red or yellow stage days fromdirect seeding until 83 104  mature green stage days from direct seedinguntil 108  122  mature red or yellow stage beginning of flowering(1^(st) early (Carré doux extra early flower on 2^(nd) flowering node)hâtif, Cupido, Fehér, Flaviano, Lito, Trophy) time of maturity early(Fehér, Lady Bell, medium Topgirl) 3. Plant habit compact compactattitude upright/erect (De upright/erect Cayenne, Doux très long desLandes, Piquant d'Algérie) plant height 32.2 cm 40.9 cm plant width 37.6cm 47.1 cm length of stem from cotyledon  9.8 cm 10.7 cm to first flowerlength of the third internode 49.9 mm   54 mm (from soil surface) lengthof stem medium (Belsir, medium Lamuyo) shortened internode (in upperpresent (Fehér, Kalocsai absent part) 601, Kalocsai 702) number ofinternodes between more than three the first flower and the (Kalocsai702) shortened internodes (varieties with shortened internodes only)length of internode on primary medium side shoots (varieties withoutshortened internodes only) stem: hairiness of nodes weak (Andevalo,absent or very weak Clovis) height medium (HRF) medium basal branchesnone few branch flexibility willowy (Cayenne Long rigid Red) stemstrength (breakage strong intermediate resistance) 4. Leaf length ofblade long (Cupido, Dolmy, medium Encore, Mazurka, Monte) width of bladebroad (California medium wonder, Golden calwonder, Seifor, Solario)width 46.9 mm   60 mm length 82.2 mm 113.3 mm petiole length 31.6 mm  46 mm color medium green light green color (RHS Color Chart value)137C 147A intensity of green color medium (Doux très long light desLandes, Merit) mature leaf shape ovate (Balico, Sonar) ovate leaf andstem pubescence absent absent undulation of margin medium (Tenor) absentblistering medium (Merit) weak profile in cross section moderatelyconcave moderately concave (Doux italien, Favolor) glossiness very weak(Diavolo) medium 5. Flower peduncle: attitude semi-drooping (Blondy)erect flowers per leaf axil  1  1 calyx lobes  6  6 petals  6  6diameter   24 mm 25.1 mm corolla color white white corolla throatmarkings yellow yellow anther color purple purple style length exceedsstamen same as stamen self-incompatibility present absent 6. Fruit groupBell (Yolo Wonder L.) color (before maturity) green (California greenwonder, Lamuyo) intensity of color (before medium medium maturity)immature fruit color medium green medium green immature fruit color (RHS144A 137A Color Chart value) attitude/position drooping/pendent (Dedrooping/pendent Cayenne, Lamuyo) length short (Delphin, Petit mediumcarré doux) diameter narrow (Doux très long broad des Landes) ratiolength/diameter large (Heldor, Lamuyo, medium Magister, Tenno, Vidi)calyx diameter 18.9 mm   32 mm fruit length 65.8 mm   80 mm fruitdiameter at calyx 45.5 mm   70 mm attachment fruit diameter at mid-point29.5 mm   80 mm flesh thickness at mid-point  3.8 mm   6 mm averagenumber of fruits per 32 10 plant % large fruits 6 (weight range: 40 to50 (weight range 140 59 g) to 199 g) % medium fruits 47 (weight range:20 to 30 (weight range 80 to 39 g) 139 g) % small fruits 47 (weightrange: 10 to 20 (weight range 20 to 19 g) 79 g) average fruit weight21.2 gm  100 gm fruit shape (longitudinal rectangular (Clovis, squaresection) Nocera rosso) fruit shape (cross section, at quadrangularquadrangular level of placenta) sinuation of pericarp at basal absent orvery weak very weak part (Delphin, Kalocsai V-2, Milord) sinuation ofpericarp excluding weak (Clovis, Sonar) very weak basal part texture ofsurface slightly wrinkled (Doux smooth or very très long des Landes)slightly wrinkled color (at maturity) orange (Ariane) red intensity ofcolor (at maturity) medium dark mature fruit color orange red maturefruit color (RHS Color N25C 46A Chart value) glossiness medium/moderatemedium/moderate (Carré doux extra hâtif, Lamuyo, Sonar) stalk cavitypresent (Bingor, absent Lamuyo) depth of stalk cavity medium (Lamuyo,Magister) pedicel length 21.3 mm   20 mm pedicel thickness  4.8 mm   6mm pedicel shape curved curved pedicel cavity present absent depth ofpedicel cavity  8.1 mm stalk: length medium (Fehér, Sonar) medium stalk:thickness thin (Sweet banana) medium base shape cupped cupped shape ofapex moderately depressed very depressed (Quadrato a'Asti rosso) shapeBell (Yolo Wonder L.) Bell (Yolo Wonder L.) set scattered scattereddepth of interloculary grooves medium (Clovis, medium Lamuyo, Marconi)number of locules predominantly three predominantly four (Century) andmore % fruits with two locules  7%  0% % fruits with three locules 50%40% % fruits with four locules 40% 60% % fruits with five or more  3% 0% locules average number of locules  3  4 thickness of flesh thin(Banán, Carré doux thick extra hâtif, Dous très long des Landes) calyx:aspect non-enveloping/ non-enveloping/ saucer-shaped saucer-shaped(Lamuyo, Sonar) pungency sweet sweet capsaicin in placenta absent(Sonar) absent flavor strong pepper flavor moderate glossiness moderateshiny 7. Seed seed cavity length 54.5 mm   43 mm seed cavity diameter24.2 mm   52 mm placenta length 15.2 mm   22 mm number of seeds perfruit 24 100  grams per 1000 seeds  5.7 gm  7.5 gm color yellow yellow8. Anthocyanin seedling hypocotyl weak moderate stem absent absent nodemoderate weak stem: intensity of anthocyanin medium (Clovis, mediumcoloration of nodes Lamuyo, Sonar) leaf absent absent pedicel absentabsent calyx absent absent anther present (Lamuyo) present fruitcoloration absent (Lamuyo) absent *These are typical values. Values mayvary due to environment. Other values that are substantially equivalentare also within the scope of the invention.

C. BREEDING PEPPER PLANTS

One aspect of the current invention concerns methods for producing seedof pepper hybrid PS09954859 involving crossing pepper lines SMR 99-1275and SMY 99-1322. Alternatively, in other embodiments of the invention,hybrid PS09954859, line SMR 99-1275, or line SMY 99-1322 may be crossedwith itself or with any second plant. Such methods can be used forpropagation of hybrid PS09954859 and/or the pepper lines SMR 99-1275 andSMY 99-1322, or can be used to produce plants that are derived fromhybrid PS09954859 and/or the pepper lines SMR 99-1275 and SMY 99-1322.Plants derived from hybrid PS09954859 and/or the pepper lines SMR99-1275 and SMY 99-1322 may be used, in certain embodiments, for thedevelopment of new pepper varieties.

The development of new varieties using one or more starting varieties iswell known in the art. In accordance with the invention, novel varietiesmay be created by crossing hybrid PS09954859 followed by multiplegenerations of breeding according to such well known methods. Newvarieties may be created by crossing with any second plant. In selectingsuch a second plant to cross for the purpose of developing novel lines,it may be desired to choose those plants which either themselves exhibitone or more selected desirable characteristics or which exhibit thedesired characteristic(s) when in hybrid combination. Once initialcrosses have been made, inbreeding and selection take place to producenew varieties. For development of a uniform line, often five or moregenerations of selfing and selection are involved.

Uniform lines of new varieties may also be developed by way ofdouble-haploids. This technique allows the creation of true breedinglines without the need for multiple generations of selfing andselection. In this manner true breeding lines can be produced in aslittle as one generation. Haploid embryos may be produced frommicrospores, pollen, anther cultures, or ovary cultures. The haploidembryos may then be doubled autonomously, or by chemical treatments(e.g. colchicine treatment). Alternatively, haploid embryos may be growninto haploid plants and treated to induce chromosome doubling. In eithercase, fertile homozygous plants are obtained. In accordance with theinvention, any of such techniques may be used in connection with a plantof the invention and progeny thereof to achieve a homozygous line.

Backcrossing can also be used to improve an inbred plant. Backcrossingtransfers a specific desirable trait from one inbred or non-inbredsource to an inbred that lacks that trait. This can be accomplished, forexample, by first crossing a superior inbred (A) (recurrent parent) to adonor inbred (non-recurrent parent), which carries the appropriate locusor loci for the trait in question. The progeny of this cross are thenmated back to the superior recurrent parent (A) followed by selection inthe resultant progeny for the desired trait to be transferred from thenon-recurrent parent. After five or more backcross generations withselection for the desired trait, the progeny have the characteristicbeing transferred, but are like the superior parent for most or almostall other loci. The last backcross generation would be selfed to givepure breeding progeny for the trait being transferred.

The plants of the present invention are particularly well suited for thedevelopment of new lines based on the elite nature of the geneticbackground of the plants. In selecting a second plant to cross withPS09954859 and/or pepper lines SMR 99-1275 and SMY 99-1322 for thepurpose of developing novel pepper lines, it will typically be preferredto choose those plants which either themselves exhibit one or moreselected desirable characteristics or which exhibit the desiredcharacteristic(s) when in hybrid combination. Examples of desirabletraits may include, in specific embodiments, high seed yield, high seedgermination, seedling vigor, high fruit yield, disease tolerance orresistance, and adaptability for soil and climate conditions.Consumer-driven traits, such as a fruit shape, color, texture, and tasteare other examples of traits that may be incorporated into new lines ofpepper plants developed by this invention.

D. PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS

As described above, hybrid PS09954859 exhibits desirable traits, asconferred by pepper lines SMR 99-1275 and SMY 99-1322. The performancecharacteristics of hybrid PS09954859 and pepper lines SMR 99-1275 andSMY 99-1322 were the subject of an objective analysis of the performancetraits relative to other varieties. The results of the analysis arepresented below.

TABLE 4 Performance Characteristics For Hybrid PS09954859 Highlyresistant to Races 0, 1, 2, 3, 7, and 8 Bacterial leaf spot Resistant toResistant to Resistant to Resistant to (Xanthomonas Highly resistant to3 and 4-lobe Potato virus Y Tobacco etch Pepper mottle Pepper yelloweuvesicatoria) Tobamovirus (P0) blocky shape (P1.2) virus virus mosaicvirus PS09954859 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yummy mix No No No No No NoNo (Seedway)

TABLE 5 Performance Characteristics For Pepper Line SMR 99-1275Resistant to Races 0, 1, 2, 3, 7, and 8 Bacterial leaf spot Resistant to(Xanthomonas Bs₂ Tobamovirus L₁ Fruit size euvesicatoria) gene (P0) geneSMR 99- mini Yes Yes Yes Yes 1275 (60 g) Early larger No No No NoCalifornia (150-200 g) Wonder

TABLE 6 Performance Characteristics For Pepper Line SMY 99-1322Resistant to Resistant to Resistant to Resistant to Resistant toTobamovirus Potato virus Y Tobacco etch Pepper mottle Pepper yellowFruit size Fruit color (P0) (P1.2) virus virus mosaic virus SMY 99-1322mini (38 g) yellow Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Early larger red No No No No NoCalifornia (150-200 g) Wonder

E. FURTHER EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

In certain aspects of the invention, plants described herein areprovided modified to include at least a first desired heritable trait.Such plants may, in one embodiment, be developed by a plant breedingtechnique called backcrossing, wherein essentially all of themorphological and physiological characteristics of a variety arerecovered in addition to a genetic locus transferred into the plant viathe backcrossing technique. The term single locus converted plant asused herein refers to those pepper plants which are developed by a plantbreeding technique called backcrossing, wherein essentially all of themorphological and physiological characteristics of a variety arerecovered in addition to the single locus transferred into the varietyvia the backcrossing technique. By essentially all of the morphologicaland physiological characteristics, it is meant that the characteristicsof a plant are recovered that are otherwise present when compared in thesame environment, other than an occasional variant trait that mightarise during backcrossing or direct introduction of a transgene.

Backcrossing methods can be used with the present invention to improveor introduce a characteristic into the present variety. The parentalpepper plant which contributes the locus for the desired characteristicis termed the nonrecurrent or donor parent. This terminology refers tothe fact that the nonrecurrent parent is used one time in the backcrossprotocol and therefore does not recur. The parental pepper plant towhich the locus or loci from the nonrecurrent parent are transferred isknown as the recurrent parent as it is used for several rounds in thebackcrossing protocol.

In a typical backcross protocol, the original variety of interest(recurrent parent) is crossed to a second variety (nonrecurrent parent)that carries the single locus of interest to be transferred. Theresulting progeny from this cross are then crossed again to therecurrent parent and the process is repeated until a pepper plant isobtained wherein essentially all of the morphological and physiologicalcharacteristics of the recurrent parent are recovered in the convertedplant, in addition to the single transferred locus from the nonrecurrentparent.

The selection of a suitable recurrent parent is an important step for asuccessful backcrossing procedure. The goal of a backcross protocol isto alter or substitute a single trait or characteristic in the originalvariety. To accomplish this, a single locus of the recurrent variety ismodified or substituted with the desired locus from the nonrecurrentparent, while retaining essentially all of the rest of the desiredgenetic, and therefore the desired physiological and morphologicalconstitution of the original variety. The choice of the particularnonrecurrent parent will depend on the purpose of the backcross; one ofthe major purposes is to add some commercially desirable trait to theplant. The exact backcrossing protocol will depend on the characteristicor trait being altered and the genetic distance between the recurrentand nonrecurrent parents. Although backcrossing methods are simplifiedwhen the characteristic being transferred is a dominant allele, arecessive allele, or an additive allele (between recessive anddominant), may also be transferred. In this instance it may be necessaryto introduce a test of the progeny to determine if the desiredcharacteristic has been successfully transferred.

In one embodiment, progeny pepper plants of a backcross in which a plantdescribed herein is the recurrent parent comprise (i) the desired traitfrom the non-recurrent parent and (ii) all of the physiological andmorphological characteristics of pepper the recurrent parent asdetermined at the 5% significance level when grown in the sameenvironmental conditions.

New varieties can also be developed from more than two parents. Thetechnique, known as modified backcrossing, uses different recurrentparents during the backcrossing. Modified backcrossing may be used toreplace the original recurrent parent with a variety having certain moredesirable characteristics or multiple parents may be used to obtaindifferent desirable characteristics from each.

Many single locus traits have been identified that are not regularlyselected for in the development of a new inbred but that can be improvedby backcrossing techniques. Single locus traits may or may not betransgenic; examples of these traits include, but are not limited to,herbicide resistance, resistance to bacterial, fungal, or viral disease,insect resistance, modified fatty acid or carbohydrate metabolism, andaltered nutritional quality. These comprise genes generally inheritedthrough the nucleus.

Direct selection may be applied where the single locus acts as adominant trait. For this selection process, the progeny of the initialcross are assayed for viral resistance and/or the presence of thecorresponding gene prior to the backcrossing. Selection eliminates anyplants that do not have the desired gene and resistance trait, and onlythose plants that have the trait are used in the subsequent backcross.This process is then repeated for all additional backcross generations.

Selection of pepper plants for breeding is not necessarily dependent onthe phenotype of a plant and instead can be based on geneticinvestigations. For example, one can utilize a suitable genetic markerwhich is closely genetically linked to a trait of interest. One of thesemarkers can be used to identify the presence or absence of a trait inthe offspring of a particular cross, and can be used in selection ofprogeny for continued breeding. This technique is commonly referred toas marker assisted selection. Any other type of genetic marker or otherassay which is able to identify the relative presence or absence of atrait of interest in a plant can also be useful for breeding purposes.Procedures for marker assisted selection are well known in the art. Suchmethods will be of particular utility in the case of recessive traitsand variable phenotypes, or where conventional assays may be moreexpensive, time consuming or otherwise disadvantageous. Types of geneticmarkers which could be used in accordance with the invention include,but are not necessarily limited to, Simple Sequence Length Polymorphisms(SSLPs) (Williams et al., 1990), Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNAs(RAPDs), DNA Amplification Fingerprinting (DAF), Sequence CharacterizedAmplified Regions (SCARs), Arbitrary Primed Polymerase Chain Reaction(AP-PCR), Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms (AFLPs) (EP 534 858,specifically incorporated herein by reference in its entirety), andSingle Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) (Wang et al., 1998).

F. PLANTS DERIVED BY GENETIC ENGINEERING

Many useful traits that can be introduced by backcrossing, as well asdirectly into a plant, are those which are introduced by genetictransformation techniques. Genetic transformation may therefore be usedto insert a selected transgene into a plant of the invention or may,alternatively, be used for the preparation of transgenes which can beintroduced by backcrossing. Methods for the transformation of plantsthat are well known to those of skill in the art and applicable to manycrop species include, but are not limited to, electroporation,microprojectile bombardment, Agrobacterium-mediated transformation anddirect DNA uptake by protoplasts.

To effect transformation by electroporation, one may employ eitherfriable tissues, such as a suspension culture of cells or embryogeniccallus or alternatively one may transform immature embryos or otherorganized tissue directly. In this technique, one would partiallydegrade the cell walls of the chosen cells by exposing them topectin-degrading enzymes (pectolyases) or mechanically wound tissues ina controlled manner.

An efficient method for delivering transforming DNA segments to plantcells is microprojectile bombardment. In this method, particles arecoated with nucleic acids and delivered into cells by a propellingforce. Exemplary particles include those comprised of tungsten,platinum, and preferably, gold. For the bombardment, cells in suspensionare concentrated on filters or solid culture medium. Alternatively,immature embryos or other target cells may be arranged on solid culturemedium. The cells to be bombarded are positioned at an appropriatedistance below the macroprojectile stopping plate.

An illustrative embodiment of a method for delivering DNA into plantcells by acceleration is the Biolistics Particle Delivery System, whichcan be used to propel particles coated with DNA or cells through ascreen, such as a stainless steel or Nytex screen, onto a surfacecovered with target cells. The screen disperses the particles so thatthey are not delivered to the recipient cells in large aggregates.Microprojectile bombardment techniques are widely applicable, and may beused to transform virtually any plant species.

Agrobacterium-mediated transfer is another widely applicable system forintroducing gene loci into plant cells. An advantage of the technique isthat DNA can be introduced into whole plant tissues, thereby bypassingthe need for regeneration of an intact plant from a protoplast. ModernAgrobacterium transformation vectors are capable of replication in E.coli as well as Agrobacterium, allowing for convenient manipulations(Klee et al., 1985). Moreover, recent technological advances in vectorsfor Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer have improved the arrangementof genes and restriction sites in the vectors to facilitate theconstruction of vectors capable of expressing various polypeptide codinggenes. The vectors described have convenient multi-linker regionsflanked by a promoter and a polyadenylation site for direct expressionof inserted polypeptide coding genes. Additionally, Agrobacteriumcontaining both armed and disarmed Ti genes can be used fortransformation.

In those plant strains where Agrobacterium-mediated transformation isefficient, it is the method of choice because of the facile and definednature of the gene locus transfer. The use of Agrobacterium-mediatedplant integrating vectors to introduce DNA into plant cells is wellknown in the art (Fraley et al., 1985; U.S. Pat. No. 5,563,055).

Transformation of plant protoplasts also can be achieved using methodsbased on calcium phosphate precipitation, polyethylene glycol treatment,electroporation, and combinations of these treatments (see, e.g.,Potrykus et al., 1985; Omirulleh et al., 1993; Fromm et al., 1986;Uchimiya et al., 1986; Marcotte et al., 1988). Transformation of plantsand expression of foreign genetic elements is exemplified in Choi et al.(1994), and Ellul et al. (2003).

A number of promoters have utility for plant gene expression for anygene of interest including but not limited to selectable markers,scoreable markers, genes for pest tolerance, disease resistance,nutritional enhancements and any other gene of agronomic interest.Examples of constitutive promoters useful for plant gene expressioninclude, but are not limited to, the cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV)P-35S promoter, which confers constitutive, high-level expression inmost plant tissues (see, e.g., Odel et al., 1985), including in monocots(see, e.g., Dekeyser et al., 1990; Terada and Shimamoto, 1990); atandemly duplicated version of the CaMV 35S promoter, the enhanced 35Spromoter (P-e35S); l the nopaline synthase promoter (An et al., 1988);the octopine synthase promoter (Fromm et al., 1989); and the figwortmosaic virus (P-FMV) promoter as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,378,619and an enhanced version of the FMV promoter (P-eFMV) where the promotersequence of P-FMV is duplicated in tandem; the cauliflower mosaic virus19S promoter; a sugarcane bacilliform virus promoter; a commelina yellowmottle virus promoter; and other plant DNA virus promoters known toexpress in plant cells.

A variety of plant gene promoters that are regulated in response toenvironmental, hormonal, chemical, and/or developmental signals can alsobe used for expression of an operably linked gene in plant cells,including promoters regulated by (1) heat (Callis et al., 1988), (2)light (e.g., pea rbcS-3A promoter, Kuhlemeier et al., 1989; maize rbcSpromoter, Schaffner and Sheen, 1991; or chlorophyll a/b-binding proteinpromoter, Simpson et al., 1985), (3) hormones, such as abscisic acid(Marcotte et al., 1989), (4) wounding (e.g., wunl, Siebertz et al.,1989); or (5) chemicals such as methyl jasmonate, salicylic acid, orSafener. It may also be advantageous to employ organ-specific promoters(e.g., Roshal et al., 1987; Schernthaner et al., 1988; Bustos et al.,1989).

Exemplary nucleic acids which may be introduced to plants of thisinvention include, for example, DNA sequences or genes from anotherspecies, or even genes or sequences which originate with or are presentin the same species, but are incorporated into recipient cells bygenetic engineering methods rather than classical reproduction orbreeding techniques. However, the term “exogenous” is also intended torefer to genes that are not normally present in the cell beingtransformed, or perhaps simply not present in the form, structure, etc.,as found in the transforming DNA segment or gene, or genes which arenormally present and that one desires to express in a manner thatdiffers from the natural expression pattern, e.g., to over-express.Thus, the term “exogenous” gene or DNA is intended to refer to any geneor DNA segment that is introduced into a recipient cell, regardless ofwhether a similar gene may already be present in such a cell. The typeof DNA included in the exogenous DNA can include DNA which is alreadypresent in the plant cell, DNA from another plant, DNA from a differentorganism, or a DNA generated externally, such as a DNA sequencecontaining an antisense message of a gene, or a DNA sequence encoding asynthetic or modified version of a gene.

Many hundreds if not thousands of different genes are known and couldpotentially be introduced into a pepper plant according to theinvention. Non-limiting examples of particular genes and correspondingphenotypes one may choose to introduce into a pepper plant include oneor more genes for insect tolerance, such as a Bacillus thuringiensis(B.t.) gene, pest tolerance such as genes for fungal disease control,herbicide tolerance such as genes conferring glyphosate tolerance, andgenes for quality improvements such as yield, nutritional enhancements,environmental or stress tolerances, or any desirable changes in plantphysiology, growth, development, morphology or plant product(s). Forexample, structural genes would include any gene that confers insecttolerance including but not limited to a Bacillus insect control proteingene as described in WO 99/31248, herein incorporated by reference inits entirety, U.S. Pat. No. 5,689,052, herein incorporated by referencein its entirety, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,500,365 and 5,880,275, hereinincorporated by reference in their entirety. In another embodiment, thestructural gene can confer tolerance to the herbicide glyphosate asconferred by genes including, but not limited to Agrobacterium strainCP4 glyphosate resistant EPSPS gene (aroA:CP4) as described in U.S. Pat.No. 5,633,435, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety, orglyphosate oxidoreductase gene (GOX) as described in U.S. Pat. No.5,463,175, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Alternatively, the DNA coding sequences can affect these phenotypes byencoding a non-translatable RNA molecule that causes the targetedinhibition of expression of an endogenous gene, for example viaantisense- or cosuppression-mediated mechanisms (see, for example, Birdet al., 1991). The RNA could also be a catalytic RNA molecule (i.e., aribozyme) engineered to cleave a desired endogenous mRNA product (seefor example, Gibson and Shillito, 1997). Thus, any gene which produces aprotein or mRNA which expresses a phenotype or morphology change ofinterest is useful for the practice of the present invention.

G. DEFINITIONS

In the description and tables herein, a number of terms are used. Inorder to provide a clear and consistent understanding of thespecification and claims, the following definitions are provided:

Allele: Any of one or more alternative forms of a gene locus, all ofwhich alleles relate to one trait or characteristic. In a diploid cellor organism, the two alleles of a given gene occupy corresponding locion a pair of homologous chromosomes.

Backcrossing: A process in which a breeder repeatedly crosses hybridprogeny, for example a first generation hybrid (F₁), back to one of theparents of the hybrid progeny. Backcrossing can be used to introduce oneor more single locus conversions from one genetic background intoanother.

Crossing: The mating of two parent plants.

Cross-pollination: Fertilization by the union of two gametes fromdifferent plants.

Diploid: A cell or organism having two sets of chromosomes.

Emasculate: The removal of plant male sex organs or the inactivation ofthe organs with a cytoplasmic or nuclear genetic factor or a chemicalagent conferring male sterility.

Enzymes: Molecules which can act as catalysts in biological reactions.

F₁ Hybrid: The first generation progeny of the cross of two nonisogenicplants.

Genotype: The genetic constitution of a cell or organism.

Haploid: A cell or organism having one set of the two sets ofchromosomes in a diploid.

Linkage: A phenomenon wherein alleles on the same chromosome tend tosegregate together more often than expected by chance if theirtransmission was independent.

Marker: A readily detectable phenotype, preferably inherited incodominant fashion (both alleles at a locus in a diploid heterozygoteare readily detectable), with no environmental variance component, i.e.,heritability of 1.

Phenotype: The detectable characteristics of a cell or organism, whichcharacteristics are the manifestation of gene expression.

Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL): Quantitative trait loci (QTL) refer togenetic loci that control to some degree numerically representabletraits that are usually continuously distributed.

Resistance: As used herein, the terms “resistance” and “tolerance” areused interchangeably to describe plants that show no symptoms to aspecified biotic pest, pathogen, abiotic influence or environmentalcondition. These terms are also used to describe plants showing somesymptoms but that are still able to produce marketable product with anacceptable yield. Some plants that are referred to as resistant ortolerant are only so in the sense that they may still produce a crop,even though the plants are stunted and the yield is reduced.

Regeneration: The development of a plant from tissue culture.

Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) color chart value: The RHS color chartis a standardized reference which allows accurate identification of anycolor. A color's designation on the chart describes its hue, brightnessand saturation. A color is precisely named by the RHS color chart byidentifying the group name, sheet number and letter, e.g., Yellow-OrangeGroup 19A or Red Group 41B.

Self-pollination: The transfer of pollen from the anther to the stigmaof the same plant.

Single Locus Converted (Conversion) Plant: Plants which are developed bya plant breeding technique called backcrossing, wherein essentially allof the morphological and physiological characteristics of a peppervariety are recovered in addition to the characteristics of the singlelocus transferred into the variety via the backcrossing technique and/orby genetic transformation.

Substantially Equivalent: A characteristic that, when compared, does notshow a statistically significant difference (e.g., p=0.05) from themean.

Tissue Culture: A composition comprising isolated cells of the same or adifferent type or a collection of such cells organized into parts of aplant.

Transgene: A genetic locus comprising a sequence which has beenintroduced into the genome of a pepper plant by transformation.

H. DEPOSIT INFORMATION

A deposit of pepper hybrid PS09954859 and inbred parent lines SMR99-1275 and SMY 99-1322, disclosed above and recited in the claims, hasbeen made with the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC), 10801University Blvd., Manassas, Va. 20110-2209. The date of each of thedeposits was Dec. 1, 2010. The accession numbers for those depositedseeds of pepper hybrid PS09954859 and inbred parent lines SMR 99-1275and SMY 99-1322 are ATCC Accession No. PTA-11514, ATCC Accession No.PTA-11520, and ATCC Accession No. PTA-11517, respectively. Upon issuanceof a patent, all restrictions upon the deposits will be removed, and thedeposits are intended to meet all of the requirements of 37 C.F.R.§1.801-1.809. The deposits will be maintained in the depository for aperiod of 30 years, or 5 years after the last request, or for theeffective life of the patent, whichever is longer, and will be replacedif necessary during that period.

Although the foregoing invention has been described in some detail byway of illustration and example for purposes of clarity andunderstanding, it will be obvious that certain changes and modificationsmay be practiced within the scope of the invention, as limited only bythe scope of the appended claims.

All references cited herein are hereby expressly incorporated herein byreference.

REFERENCES

The following references, to the extent that they provide exemplaryprocedural or other details supplementary to those set forth herein, arespecifically incorporated herein by reference:

-   U.S. Pat. No. 5,378,619-   U.S. Pat. No. 5,463,175-   U.S. Pat. No. 5,500,365-   U.S. Pat. No. 5,563,055-   U.S. Pat. No. 5,633,435-   U.S. Pat. No. 5,689,052-   U.S. Pat. No. 5,880,275-   An et al., Plant Physiol., 88:547, 1988.-   Bird et al., Biotech. Gen. Engin. Rev., 9:207, 1991.-   Bustos et al., Plant Cell, 1:839, 1989.-   Callis et al., Plant Physiol., 88:965, 1988.-   Choi et al., Plant Cell Rep., 13: 344-348, 1994.-   Dekeyser et al., Plant Cell, 2:591, 1990.-   Ellul et al., Theor. Appl. Genet., 107:462-469, 2003.-   EP 534 858-   Fraley et al., Bio/Technology, 3:629-635, 1985.-   Fromm et al., Nature, 312:791-793, 1986.-   Fromm et al., Plant Cell, 1:977, 1989.-   Gibson and Shillito, Mol. Biotech., 7:125, 1997-   Klee et al., Bio-Technology, 3(7):637-642, 1985.-   Kuhlemeier et al., Plant Cell, 1:471, 1989.-   Marcotte et al., Nature, 335:454, 1988.-   Marcotte et al., Plant Cell, 1:969, 1989.-   Odel et al., Nature, 313:810, 1985.-   Omirulleh et al., Plant Mol. Biol., 21(3):415-428, 1993.-   Potrykus et al., Mol. Gen. Genet., 199:183-188, 1985.-   Roshal et al., EMBO J., 6:1155, 1987.-   Schaffner and Sheen, Plant Cell, 3:997, 1991.-   Schernthaner et al., EMBO J., 7:1249, 1988.-   Siebertz et al., Plant Cell, 1:961, 1989.-   Simpson et al., EMBO J., 4:2723, 1985.-   Terada and Shimamoto, Mol. Gen. Genet., 220:389, 1990.-   Uchimiya et al., Mol. Gen. Genet., 204:204, 1986.-   Wang et al., Science, 280:1077-1082, 1998.-   Williams et al., Nucleic Acids Res., 1 8:6531-6535, 1990.-   WO 99/31248

What is claimed is:
 1. A pepper plant comprising at least a first set ofthe chromosomes of pepper line SMY 99-1322, a sample of seed of saidline having been deposited under ATCC Accession No. PTA-11517.
 2. Apepper seed comprising at least a first set of the chromosomes of pepperline SMY 99-1322, a sample of seed of said line having been depositedunder ATCC Accession No. PTA-11517.
 3. The plant of claim 1, which is ahybrid.
 4. The plant of claim 3, wherein the hybrid plant is pepperhybrid PS09954859, a sample of seed of said hybrid having been depositedunder ATCC Accession No. PTA-11514.
 5. A plant part of the plant ofclaim
 1. 6. The plant part of claim 5, further defined as a leaf, aovule, pollen, a fruit, or a cell.
 7. The plant part of claim 6, furtherdefined as a fruit.
 8. A pepper plant, or a part thereof, having all thephysiological and morphological characteristics of the pepper plant ofclaim
 1. 9. A pepper plant, or a part thereof, having all thephysiological and morphological characteristics of the pepper plant ofclaim
 4. 10. A tissue culture of regenerable cells of the plant ofclaim
 1. 11. The tissue culture according to claim 10, comprising cellsor protoplasts from a plant part selected from the group consisting ofembryos, meristems, cotyledons, pollen, leaves, anthers, roots, roottips, pistil, flower, seed and stalks.
 12. A pepper plant regeneratedfrom the tissue culture of claim 11, wherein said plant has all thephysiological and morphological characteristics of the pepper plantcomprising at least a first set of the chromosomes of pepper line SMY99-1322, a sample of seed of said line having been deposited under ATCCAccession No. PTA-11517.
 13. A method of vegetatively propagating theplant of claim 1 comprising the steps of: (a) obtaining tissue capableof being propagated from a plant according to claim 1; (b) cultivatingsaid tissue to obtain proliferated shoots; and (c) rooting saidproliferated shoots to obtain rooted plantlets.
 14. The method of claim13, further comprising growing plants from said rooted plantlets.
 15. Amethod of introducing a desired trait into a pepper line comprising: (a)crossing a plant of pepper line SMY 99-1322, a sample of seed of saidline having been deposited under ATCC Accession No. PTA-11517, with asecond pepper plant that comprises a desired trait to produce F1progeny; (b) selecting an F1 progeny that comprises the desired trait;(c) crossing the selected F1 progeny with a plant of line SMY 99-1322 toproduce backcross progeny; and (d) repeating steps (b) and (c) three ormore times to produce selected fourth or higher backcross progeny thatcomprise the desired trait.
 16. A pepper plant produced by the method ofclaim 15, wherein said plant otherwise comprises essentially all of themorphological and physiological characteristics of pepper line SMY99-1322.
 17. A method of producing a pepper plant comprising a singlelocus conversion, the method comprising obtaining a plant of pepper lineSMR 99-1275 comprising the single locus conversion, and crossing theplant of line SMR 99-1275 comprising the single locus conversion with aplant of line SMY 99-1322, a sample of seed of said lines having beendeposited under ATCC Accession No. PTA-11520 and ATCC Accession No.PTA-11517, respectively.
 18. A pepper plant produced by the method ofclaim 17; wherein the plant otherwise comprises essentially all of themorphological and physiological characteristics of pepper hybridPS09954859.
 19. A method of producing a pepper plant comprising atransgene, the method comprising introducing a transgene into a plant ofpepper hybrid PS09954859 or pepper line SMY 99-1322, a sample of seed ofsaid hybrid and line having been deposited under ATCC Accession No.PTA-11514 and ATCC Accession No. PTA-11517, respectively.
 20. A pepperplant produced by the method of claim
 19. 21. A plant of pepper hybridPS09954859 or pepper line SMY 99-1322, further comprising a transgene, asample of seed of said hybrid and line having been deposited under ATCCAccession No. PTA-11514 and ATCC Accession No. PTA-11517, respectively.22. A pepper seed that produces the plant of claim
 21. 23. A plant ofpepper hybrid PS09954859 or pepper line SMY 99-1322, further comprisinga single locus conversion, a sample of seed of said hybrid and linehaving been deposited under ATCC Accession No. PTA-11514 and ATCCAccession No. PTA-11517, respectively; wherein the plant otherwisecomprises essentially all of the morphological and physiologicalcharacteristics of pepper hybrid PS09954859 or pepper line SMY 99-1322,respectively.
 24. The plant of claim 23, wherein the plant comprisingthe single locus conversion is pepper hybrid PS09954859, and wherein thesingle locus conversion is inherited from pepper line SMY 99-1322, asample of seed of said hybrid and line having been deposited under ATCCAccession No. PTA-11514 and ATCC Accession No. PTA-11517, respectively.25. A pepper seed that produces the plant of claim
 23. 26. A method forproducing a pepper seed of a plant derived from pepper hybrid PS09954859or pepper line SMY 99-1322, comprising the steps of: (a) crossing apepper plant of hybrid PS09954859 or line SMY 99-1322 with a secondpepper plant; a sample of seed of said hybrid and line having beendeposited under ATCC Accession No. PTA-11514 and ATCC Accession No.PTA-11517, respectively; and (b) allowing seed of a hybrid PS09954859 orline SMY 99-1322-derived pepper plant to form.
 27. The method of claim26, further comprising the steps of: (c) crossing a plant grown fromsaid hybrid PS09954859 or SMY 99-1322-derived pepper seed with itself ora second pepper plant to yield additional hybrid PS09954859 or SMY99-1322-derived pepper seed; (d) growing said additional hybridPS09954859 or SMY 99-1322-derived pepper seed of step (c) to yieldadditional hybrid PS09954859 or SMY 99-1322-derived pepper plants; and(e) repeating the crossing and growing steps of (c) and (d) to generateat least a first further hybrid PS09954859 or SMY 99-1322-derived pepperplant.
 28. The method of claim 26, wherein the second pepper plant is ofan inbred pepper line.
 29. The method of claim 25, comprising crossingline SMY 99-1322 with a second pepper plant of line SMR 99-1275, asample of seed of said lines having been deposited under ATCC AccessionNumber PTA-11517, and ATCC Accession Number PTA-11520, respectively. 30.The method of claim 27, further comprising: (f) crossing the furtherhybrid PS09954859 or SMY 99-1322-derived pepper plant with a secondpepper plant to produce seed of a hybrid progeny plant.
 31. A method ofproducing a pepper comprising: (a) obtaining a plant according to claim1, wherein the plant has been cultivated to maturity; and (b) collectinga pepper from the plant.
 32. The method of claim 31, wherein the plantis a plant of pepper hybrid PS09954859, a sample of seed of said hybridPS09954859 having been deposited under ATCC Accession No. PTA-11514. 33.A method of producing pepper seed comprising crossing the plant of claim1 with itself or a second pepper plant.